National Delegate Conference 21-24 June 2011

Defending our rights to defend our services

Gordon McKay

Conference pledged to campaign to repeal laws that restrict trade union freedoms and to work with a range of organisations to defend our rights through legal challenges.

Trade unions in the UK are already shackled like no others in the developed world and we must resist further attacks. Scotland’s amendment, moved by Gordon McKay urged the union to get the best advice possible and use that, Human Rights and European legislation to defend trade union rights.

Referring to the ConDems, Gordon said, "Every time one of them opens their mouth we gain a hunderd members - and we add 1% to the yes vote in a future ballot in defence of our pensions."

"Nick Clegg on privatisaing the NHS, Danny Alexander laughing and slapping George Osborne on the back as he cuts lifeline services for the elderly and vulnerable.

"And Vince Cable. A miracle of modern medical science. A man that has shown that life without a backbone is possible as long as you live your life on your knees", said Gordon to much laughter from delegates.

"Vince Cable, the social reformer who tells us he will defend employment rights so long as people don't use them - but will remove them if you do".

Cable, Clegg and Alexander know who their friends are. "They are the Tories, the bankers who caused the economic mess by their greed, the privatisers and the judges who tried to overturn a democratic ballot result at British Airways that delivered an 88% yes vote for industrial action because it was not published widely enough that there were just eleven spoilt papers.

"Well we know who our friends are as well", said Gordon. "Our friends are the elderly who rely on home care workers to help them maintain their dignity after a lifetime of working for this country.

"Our friends are the mums who rely on nursery nurses so they can go out to work. And our friends are those who rely on NHS workers to care for them.

"This union will defend our friends and when needed we will take industrial action to defend public services.

Gordon said we would work with the Institute of Employment Rights and the united campaign to repeal the anti-union laws along with 30 other tarde unions to defend our members.

"The only people who should have the right to determine whether or not to take industrial action are our members. Not the employers and not the courts", said Gordon.

Mark Ferguson

Mark Ferguson, Scotland Regional Delegate noted that there were also threats to such things as employment tribunals.

"They want to ban strikes in public services and deny any opportunity to challenge employers," he said.

"It's all part of a political dogma and ideology that hates public services."

Mark added that the government was particularly afraid of UNISON, because it knew the union would lead resistance to the cuts, job losses and pension reforms.

"They know that if they can't break the union, their carefully concocted plans will fail."

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